Burglaries on Rise in Eureka

The Eureka Police Department has seen an increase in residential burglary reports during the month of November, primarily in the Henderson Center area. Below are some of the trends we’ve seen. Residents should be aware and use extra precaution when leaving their homes.
Of 24 residential burglaries this month, 16 occurred between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. while residents were at work. Half of the burglaries happened on Mondays and Tuesdays. Entry was most commonly made through a rear or side door or window. In one report, entry was made through a large dog door. Other common entry points were through garages, basement windows, and the front door.

In many of the reports, the whole house appeared to have been ransacked. Commonly stolen items were electronics, cash, jewelry, tools, and other easy to transport items. If suspects were seen in the area, they were most commonly described as up to two males wearing dark clothing. In several of the cases the suspects were described as juveniles.

Residents are encouraged to report any suspicious persons, vehicles, or activity occurring in their neighborhoods that may be related. Anyone with information regarding the possible identity of the suspect(s) responsible for these burglaries is asked to call the Eureka Police Department at 441-4044.
The following are some precautions that homeowners can take to reduce their risk of burglary:
Keep all doors and windows locked when away.
Invest in an alarm system/surveillance cameras.
Secure sliding glass doors by placing a broomstick, metal rod or piece of plywood in the track and install vertical bolts. These will help prevent burglars from forcing the door open or lifting it off the track.
Keep garage doors closed and locked. Also keep doors that lead to interior of residence secured.
Get to know your neighbors and keep an eye out for each other.
Occasionally come home on lunch breaks.
Create the illusion you are home by using timers on lights, radios, and televisions. Make your residence appear occupied even when no one is home.
Keep the perimeter of your residence well-lit and trim any shrubs so they do not provide concealment for would-be-burglars.
Never leave a message on your answering machine telling people you are away from home. Do not post on social media that you are out of town.
Do not leave clues that you are away on a trip. Have a trusted neighbor collect mail and newspapers while you are away so delivered items do not accumulate.
Re-key the locks when you move into a new house or apartment.
Do not hide keys where burglars can find them. Consider leaving your spare key with a trusted neighbor instead.
Report any suspicious activity/persons in your neighborhood to law enforcement immediately.
Join a neighborhood watch and/or use Nextdoor.com to communicate with your neighbors.
More information can be found here: http://www.popcenter.org/problems/burglary_home/3

I sometimes vote for Democratic candidates. My reason is that they usually support more funding for our public schools over tax cuts for the rich. Obviously, you did not do so well in school, otherwise you would known the word “democratic” should have been capitalized in your sentence.

Everyone is always hating on Eureka, and I’m expecting lots attached to this story, but I live here and love it. I don’t love the fact that we shoulder a large portion of the chronically homeless because of the various aid agencies, but I also don’t blame those agencies or individuals for trying to help. I’ve lost close friends to the streets of Old Town and I’ve also seen family go from heroin addict to doctor, so I’ve seen both the hope and the hopeless. I get so sick of it all, too, and then I see a 20 year old guy this morning digging through the recycling and I can’t help but think wow that just sucks, for him, for his family, for society. It makes me mad, it makes me sad. I don’t want to enable but I also don’t want to lose all sense of humanity and compassion. I don’t have all the answers, but I know Eureka is an amazing town, and the people are so great. I see the polarization in this country and feel so lucky to live somewhere where all kinds of people work and live together and tolerate eachother’s quirks and opposing views. In the 90s, it was hippies versus loggers and we all got screwed and I think we all learned that together we’re more powerful. My neighbors and I watch out for eachother, because we understand the cops are busy and truly putting their lives on the line everyday with all the delusional people roaming the streets, and we strive to keep this town special because it is!! Glorious Victorians, a beautiful waterfront, great people, thriving local businesses which have their own character and unique flavor. Most towns in the US are strip-mall-anywhere-USA. Eureka is a beautiful small town, with rich history, situated on one of the very few natural bays of the West, open your eyes and see how very lucky we are! It helps us all if Eureka improves. Instead of clever, hateful nicknames and shit talking, maybe find a way to support Eureka or improve the center of our economy and tourism in this county. And before you dismiss an entire town as a lost cause, please remember there are many good, hard-working families living here too.
i like eureka.

Beutiful letter. Honest, true, hit home. Still sad set of affairs for our community. One of my best friends is dabling in coke. Thought that was a thing of the past…wow, I was wrong. Only heard heroin about 4 years ago in my neighborhood. Ya now, all I know to do is pray. I want to find a way to help, but I work two jobs, raising my son. I don’t have the answers, no one does. Not to sound like a bible banger, which I’m not, just ask for peace.🙏💖🌸🙏🌸

We moved here from northwest Washington nine years ago for my wife’s job (she’s a medical professional) and ended up buying a house. Sometimes the crime, drugs, useless local governments and astoundingly high ratio of riffraff to productive citizens gets us down, and we think of moving back north.

BUT.

Eureka and the adjacent area IS really cool in many many ways. The level of culture here is far and away superior to any area of similar size and remoteness I’ve ever visited. From the range of decent-to-good restaurants (plus a small handful of excellent ones), good bookstores (Eureka books is one of the best used bookstores on the entire west coast) and other excellent small businesses, the fantastic arts and entertainment scene, and in general the wide range of things to do. Not to mention easy access to an unbeatable range of outdoor opportunities from the beaches to the rivers to the redwoods, the fishing, clam digging, mushroom hunting, etc etc right on our doorstep, the local agriculture scene… I could go on and on about all the good things about this place.

Yes, we need more police and community leaders who are serious about tackling issues of crime and the so-called “homeless”. Yes we need to question the need to provide care and services for every derelict, neck-tatted criminal, and drug-addicted drifter who shows up from wherever with his hand out. But, seriously – look around you. Take advantage of all the great things we have here, because there are many. If we could get our many problems under at least some measure of control, this area could be paradise.

Yet you refer without irony to the “productive citizens,” such as many of the “medical professionals” whose livelihoods are directly and inextricably linked to the epidemic of homelessness and who would themselves likely be homeless were it not for the creation of an entire industry which literally thrives on their misery.

There’s no place like home!!!I too love my town.and their are more good people here than bad!!we all need to be on alert,lock up everything,put it away,hide it whatever it takes to be safe.watch out for each other,work together to save our piece of the plant.and if you need help,Humboldt is the place to be.Ill be glad to help out,a ride ,a caring ear,I’m here

Eureka is heading down hill and towards an abyss because the City Council has been so slow to allow Cannabis businesses to open. I pray they are not too late. Growing, processing, edibles, topicals, dispensaries, storage, clinics, should be thriving in Eureka. Putting rent into empty stores. Hiring people with living wages. The despair in Eureka is due in part to keeping the Cannabis economy in the dark and on the fringes. Eureka has the opportunity to become a Cannabis based economic hub for Humboldt County! The powers that be just need to keep things moving and take input from local cannabis business owners to protect our trade from large outside interests.

Eureka is a ghost town on weekends, before 9am and after 6pm. We need reasons for people to come into Eureka, and old town. To spend time and money.

So is it a good idea to base one’s economy on a Federally listed narcotic? If Eureka does this it risks losing everything in one fell swoop. If Sessions becomes AG he will be another Ashcroft and go after all Cannabis. To hell with States rights, remember we fought a little war over this back in 1860s and the Feds won.

Eureka needs to do a better job of branding itself as Downtown Redwood Empire and capturing the dollars of the tourists who come here from all over the country and all over the world to visit the redwood forest. We need to develop our waterfront (the plans for the old Co-op building are a great start), move the rescue mission away from Old Town, add better signage directing people to Old Town and more effort to promote it to visitors.

And we need to do what it takes to attract other industries here as well. I recall hearing that ten years or so back Microsoft or some other high-tech business was looking to establish a remote campus at Samoa, but that the opportunity was missed due to local governments’ indifference and the lack of a good airport. We need leaders who are committed to pursuing opportunities like that and doing what’s best for this community, rather than just cozying up to growers and looking out for their own best interests and those of their cronies. Cannabis will, I imagine, always have a role in the local economy, but with cannabis alone cannot support a truly vibrant and economically healthy community.